The invention relates to a method for increasing safety in the handling of a wheel of a heavy vehicle when the wheel is being detached from the vehicle shaft in such a way that the fastening bolts attaching the wheel rim to the vehicle shaft are detached to detach the rim from the shaft.
Further, the invention relates to an arrangement for increasing safety in the handling of a wheel of a heavy vehicle when the wheel is being detached from the vehicle shaft in such a way that the fastening bolts attaching the wheel rim to the vehicle shaft are detached to detach the rim from the shaft.
In different heavy-vehicle wheels, rims are implemented in such a way that one edge of the rim has a fixed flange and the other edge has a loose flange that is locked in place into a locking groove at that end of the rim with a separate locking ring. The rim, in turn, is attached to the shaft hub in a circular manner with a large number of fastening bolts that divide the stress as evenly as possible between the rim and the shaft hub. In use, however, the material of the rims may yield due to stress, whereby different micro-cracks are generated in the rim. These, in turn, may cause the rim to break due to the support being uneven and the attachment getting loose. This may happen for example when fastening bolts of a tire are being loosened to detach the tire for maintenance, such as changing a tire. Accidents etc. are especially prone to happen in such maintenance actions. In the maintenance of tires, accidents happen when too high air pressure has remained in the tires when fastening bolts are being loosened, which causes at least equipment damages and frequently even losses of human life. Usually, the instruction for such a maintenance action is to let the pressurized air out of the tires before detaching any fastening bolts, which would guarantee safety. Despite strict safety regulations, accidents still happen.